Indonesian pop group singer to bury wife killed in tsunami

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The front man of popular Indonesian pop group Seventeen was to bury his wife Tuesday, December 25, compounding a tragedy that saw his 3 bandmates also killed when a tsunami tore into their open-air concert.

Dramatic footage posted online showed fans clapping and cheering before the wave smashes into the concert, hurling band members from the stage and slamming into the audience. 

Lead vocalist Riefian Fajarsyah posted a video clip of himself on social media stroking the coffin of his wife, actress and TV personality Dylan Sahara, in her hometown of Ponorogo on the east side of Java island.

“How can I live without you, Dylan Sahara?” Fajarsyah wrote on his widely followed Instagram account.

“Thank you guys for your prayers. Only God can repay your kindness. Please send prayers for my wife Dylan so she will be at peace.”

Sahara – who was running for a parliament seat in next year’s elections – was identified at a hospital late Monday, December 24, according to Indonesian media reports.

A day before her birthday

The 25-year-old daughter of a well-known Indonesian politician was present when the wall of water swept through a company-sponsored event at the Tanjung Lesung beach resort on the western tip of Java where the band was playing.

It was a day before her 26th birthday.

“(She) was not perfect and neither am I, but she never stopped trying to be the best wife,” Fajarsyah said in his emotional online tribute.

“I could not ask for more.”

Tens of thousands of sympathetic messages were posted to Fajarsyah’s social media accounts Tuesday, including from celebrities and politicians.

“Deepest condolences bro. May you have strength and patience and may your wife be granted the best place alongside God,” famous Indonesian singer Judika wrote online.

Funerals were held Monday for the group’s bassist, guitarist, road manager, and a crew member who were killed in the disaster. The guitarist has also been confirmed dead.

Fajarsyah, 35, was the only surviving member of Seventeen, which has released a half dozen albums and commands a large fan base in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

With no warning, the powerful, volcano-triggered tsunami swept over popular beaches on southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java and inundated tourist hotels and coastal settlements. (READ: Sick, hungry Indonesia tsunami survivors cram shelters) – Rappler.com